Ride'm high

This is Old Cowtown's new welcoming committee.

Dutch oven

Here he's hanging a cast iron dutch oven over the campfire. I wonder what's inside.
Probably nothing, it's probably just for show.
But, in the old days, many a pot of;
beans, chilli, stew, and other dishes,
would of been cooked over an open fire.

Stove on the range

The chuckwagon in yesterday's photo was to the right of this scene. Here, the cook is stoking the campfire, to get it good and hot.

"Meals on wheels, or....

....an early day Winebego, complete with kitchen, and outdoor bathroom."

This photo was taken at Old Cowtown, as a Chuckwagon Dinner was about to commence.

See the salt, flour, coffee grinder and other items and the cupboard door, that opens for use as a table for preparing meals. For those interested in reading about the history of chuckwagons, click here History of Chuckwagons Have you ever been to a Chuckwagon Dinner? If so, where was it?

Wooden grave marker

This is how graves were often marked during the covered wagon, and cowboy days. It reads "unknown", instead of a name. This grave marker is located beside an old covered wagon that had fallen under indian attack. It can be seen when entering Old Cowtown. It's, of course, just for depiction of the wild west era - not a real grave. I thought this photo would go well with yesterday's theme of cemetaries and tombstones.

Munger house

This log home was built in 1868 near the Arkansas River, by a Mr Munger. The logs used for it came from cottonwood trees in the area. It served as a 2-room hotel, a post office, and pioneer hospital. A lot of action for this little log home. The dresser drawers in the guest rooms, have a lock on each of them. The paying guests, were given a key to their dresser drawer. The plaster between the logs, included buffalo hair in the mixture. This home has been well preserved as it was for many years housed within the walls of a larger home that had been built around it. It is now in Wichita's Old Cowtown. It's furnished inside, as it would of been during it's early days in Wichita history. It has two front doors, the one on the left is entry to the "living room" which served as Mr Munger's office. It has a desk and dining table in it. The door on the right enters into the kitchen area. The two guest (hotel) rooms are on the back. Not sure what's upstairs, but am thinking that's where the Munger family slept. That's just a guess though, not a fact. Remember the picture of the Carey-Eaton Hotel - quite a difference a few years made. Cattle business must of been booming around the time span of when the two hotels were built 1868 - 1887.

Cowtown businesses

Old fashioned swing

If you ever go to Old Cowtown and you are taking young children - be sure to allow extra time for them to play on the old fashioned "tree swing". It's a rope tied to a tree branch (way up high), with a bag of sand tied to the other end. It's big fun for little ones. And, it doesn't cost extra. This swing is in an area near the one room schoolhouse shown in an earlier post. The red building in the background is the public restrooms.

Old wagon

This old wagon, complete with arrows and missing a wheel, is seen while walking along the path from Old Cowtown's nice, new and modern entrance building.

One room schoolhouse

This is the one room schoolhouse in Old Cowtown. It's where the school desk photo was taken. Back in the days when one room schools dotted the American country, children of all grades and ages attended school together. School has come a long ways from the days when all grades and ages were taught by a common teacher. Notice the bell tower on top? Inside the school is an open closet area where children would hang their coats and hats, and also in that area is a rope which could be pulled to ring the school bell. I imagine it was rang at the beginning of school, and also when recess (outdoor play) was over. Centered near the back of the school was a large wood burning stove for keeping warm in the winter. Also, notice the wooden sidewalks? Just think some of our own family members - parents, grandparents and further back may of attended a school such as this. From what I've read, these schools began being replaced by larger schools as early as the 1930's, but some in rural areas lasted into the 1960's. Many have now disappeared, but this one is well protected in it's Old Cowtown living museum setting. This photo shows nicely when clicked on to enlarge.

Barnstormin'

Wichita is not only known as a cowtown from the early cattle drives. It's also known as "The air capital of the world". Many major aircraft manufacturing companies got their start here. Because of Wichita's airplane history, it's not uncommon to see unusual airplanes like this one. Each having their own theme. This one is called "Barnstormin'" and is located near the entrance of the parking lot for Old Cowtown.

School desks

This was taken inside the one room schoolhouse at Old Cowtown. These desks have a hole cut out in them for a bottle of ink to be placed in (for their old fashioned "inkless" pen).... and individual chalkboards were sometimes used in place of paper, when learning to write. You can see one of the chalkboards on the desk to the right of the photo. Walking through Old Cowtown is like being on the set of Gunsmoke, or Little House on the Prairie, only it's not a movie set - it's historical buildings showing what life was like in the newly forming city of Wichita, during the years of 1865 to 1880. Remember Wichita began as a settlement along the Arkansas River, as a place where cattle drives would stop overnight, giving the cowboys and cattle a place to eat, drink and rest. Thus, the name of this living museum being - Old "COW"town.